There may have been a lot of work done on LTE in the public bands recently, but don’t write off Wi-Fi yet. A lot of the techniques and advancements applied to LTE can also be applied to the older technology. In any case the golden rule of the networking industry is: never bet against Ethernet (of which Wi-Fi is a version).

Ruckus and Qualcomm say they’ve completed the industry’s first trial of Carrier Wi-Fi enhancements based on the Wi-Fi Alliance’s Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Vantage programme, with Vantage 2 features. Conducted on KDDI’s public Wi-Fi network at the Shibuya train station in Tokyo, and using test devices based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 chipset and Ruckus’ R610 and R710 access points, the trial demonstrated substantial improvements in the performance and user experience of Wi-Fi on a congested carrier network. Prior to the field trials, extensive lab trials were also conducted by the companies with support from HTC and SHARP, to help ensure the robust performance.

The trial showed up to 10x faster connection set-up and 30 per cent more efficient use of network capacity, resulting in quick connection when users enter carrier networks, as well as more reliable voice and data performance, virtually consistent speeds and seamless roaming when moving around in the network coverage area. Qualcomm Technologies, the first technology provider to make these Vantage 2 features commercially available on its platforms, was instrumental in achieving these results by providing end-to-end support on both smartphone devices and APs.

For more information on Qualcomm Technologies’ visit the Qualcomm MWC booth located in Hall 3 of the Fira Gran Via at Booth #E310 or visit www.qualcomm.com.